Dec. 9, 2022Matt Smith / For Spotlight PAWolf administration seeks to finish off Pa. Senate GOP’s languishing 2020 election inquiryby Carter Walker of VotebeatPennsylvania Senate Republicans requested partial Social Security and driver’s license numbers as part of a yearslong attempt to audit the 2020 election.
Dec. 7, 2022Alejandro A. Alvarez / Philadelphia InquirerDispute over Pa. House special elections, control likely heading to courtby Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PADemocrat Joanna McClinton says she is now in control of the Pennsylvania House, a claim Republican leaders say amounts to a “paperwork insurrection.”
Dec. 1, 2022Amanda Berg / For Spotlight PAUnprecedented number of recount requests delay election certification in at least 3 Pa. countiesby Carter Walker of VotebeatElection officials and courts are being forced to resolve more than 100 petitions apparently from right-wing activists, most without evidence of fraud.
Dec. 1, 2022Heather Khalifa / Philadelphia InquirerThe teams helping Josh Shapiro prepare to become Pa.’s governor include wealthy donors, Republicansby Katie Meyer of Spotlight PA and Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PAThe Democrat is not the only governor-to-be who has given donors plum positions ahead of his inauguration, but some say the practice highlights the need to get money out of politics.
Nov. 29, 2022Matt Smith / For Spotlight PARejecting undated mail ballots disproportionately impacts communities of color in Pa., data showsby Carter Walker of VotebeatThe Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that undated and incorrectly dated mail ballots should not be counted in the Nov. 8 midterm election, a decision that is now being challenged in federal court.
Nov. 24, 2022Commonwealth Media ServicesPennsylvania House Democrats will lose their majority for at least a few weeks. Here’s why.by Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PATwo state lawmakers ran for reelection while also seeking different elected positions during the midterms. This totally legal strategy will put Pennsylvania House Democrats in a bind come January.
Nov. 23, 2022Commonwealth Media ServicesThe post-election review designed to give Pa. voters more confidence in the results, explainedby Carter Walker of VotebeatFollowing the 2022 midterms, all 67 Pennsylvania counties were required to participate in a "risk-limiting audit," which is designed to give statistical confidence in election results.
Nov. 23, 2022Heather Khalifa / Philadelphia InquirerHow Democrat Josh Shapiro won Pennsylvania’s 2022 election for governorby Katie Meyer of Spotlight PA and Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PASupporters and detractors alike agreed Shapiro had a weak opponent, strong outreach to rural areas, and a pragmatic policy message.
Nov. 18, 2022Alejandro A. Alvarez / Philadelphia InquirerThe Democratic takeover of the Pa. House will be a little messy to start. Here’s why.by Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PAWhen the Pennsylvania House’s new session begins on Jan. 3, at least one Democratic seat will be vacant — complicating the election of the chamber’s speaker.
Nov. 16, 2022Amanda Berg / For Spotlight PADemocrats win control of Pennsylvania state House after picking up 12 seatsby Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA and Katie Meyer of Spotlight PADemocrats have not controlled the chamber for more than a decade, and the win will allow lawmakers to advance policy priorities like raising the minimum wage.
Nov. 15, 2022Joe Lamberti / Philadelphia InquirerHave Democrats flipped the Pa. House? The latest on the deciding races.by Katie Meyer of Spotlight PAAttorneys for Democratic and Republican candidates in two close, still-uncalled races are haggling over whether to count several dozen provisional ballots.
Nov. 15, 2022Amanda Berg / For Spotlight PAThis Pennsylvania county ran out of paper on Election Day. Now the district attorney is investigating.by Carter Walker of VotebeatOne week later, angry voters demand to know why Luzerne County polling places ran out of ballot paper.
Nov. 11, 2022Matt Smith / For Spotlight PAWATCH: A free panel on the winners of Pa.’s 2022 election and how they plan to run the stateby Spotlight PA StaffSpotlight PA held a discussion on who won, what they promised on the campaign trail, and how those plans might get implemented once they are in office.
Nov. 10, 2022Amanda Berg / For Spotlight PARepublican Doug Mastriano concedes Pa. governor’s race 4 days after Democrat Josh Shapiro declared winnerby Stephen Caruso, Angela Couloumbis, Kate Huangpu and Katie Meyer of Spotlight PAUnofficial results show Mastriano, a far-right state senator, lost to Shapiro by 14 points.
Nov. 10, 2022Carter Walker / VotebeatElection officials reported few issues complying with Pa.’s new continuous count rule for mail ballotsby Carter Walker of VotebeatThe requirement added fresh pressure and prompted counties to develop processes to ensure they complied with it.
Nov. 9, 2022Alejandro A. Alvarez / Philadelphia InquirerDemocrats believe they will take control of the Pennsylvania House for the first time in more than a decadeby Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA and Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PAUnofficial results from Tuesday’s midterm election show that Democrats are expected to flip a number of Republican-controlled seats in the suburbs of Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and State College.
Nov. 9, 2022Heather Khalifa / Philadelphia InquirerDemocrat Josh Shapiro will be Pennsylvania’s next governor. It promises to be his biggest challenge yet.by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA and Katie Meyer of Spotlight PAShapiro, who is currently the state’s attorney general, will have to navigate a state legislature that has often served as a foil to gubernatorial agendas.
Nov. 9, 2022Heather Khalifa / Philadelphia InquirerDemocrat Josh Shapiro elected governor of Pennsylvania, defeating Republican Doug Mastrianoby Katie Meyer of Spotlight PAThe current state attorney general vastly outspent Mastriano in the race and consistently led in the polls.
Nov. 8, 2022Amanda Berg / For Spotlight PAElection Day polls are closed in Pennsylvania. Here’s what happens now.by Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PA and Katie Meyer of Spotlight PAPennsylvania officials stressed that unofficial election results would likely not be available Tuesday for many key 2022 races.
Nov. 8, 2022Alejandro A. Alvarez / Philadelphia InquirerA judge did not change Pennsylvania's ballot deadline for the 2022 electionby Carter Walker of VotebeatAbsentee and mail ballots must be returned to county election offices by 8 p.m. on Election Day. Some false claims are spreading on social media.
Nov. 8, 2022Matt Smith / For Spotlight PAJohn Fetterman wins US Senate race in Pennsylvania, AP projectsby Spotlight PA StaffLive 2022 election updates from polling places across Pennsylvania, plus the latest news on results, ballot counts, legal challenges, and more.
Nov. 7, 2022Jessica Griffin / Philadelphia InquirerPhiladelphia makes late change to its vote-counting plan for 2022 Pa. election after GOP challengeby Katie Meyer of Spotlight PAThe city reinstated a procedure used to catch people who vote both by mail and in person, but the vote count will now take longer than expected.
Nov. 7, 2022THOMAS HENGGE, STEVEN M. FALK / Philadelphia Inquirer PhotographersFormer Pa. governors ask candidates Doug Mastriano, Josh Shapiro to accept results of Nov. 8 electionby Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA and Katie Meyer of Spotlight PAFormer Govs. Tom Ridge, Mark Schweiker, Ed Rendell, and Tom Corbett said the state’s election process will be “open and transparent.”
Nov. 3, 2022Matt Smith / For Spotlight PA1.4 million Pennsylvanians asked to vote by mail. Here’s what that means for Election Week 2022 counting.by Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PAOfficials from some of the state’s biggest counties expect to be finished tabulating mail ballots by the day after the Nov. 8 election.
Nov. 1, 2022Heather Khalifa / Philadelphia InquirerElection officials should not count undated mail ballots on Nov. 8, Pa. high court rulesby Katie Meyer of Spotlight PAIn a deadlocked decision, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court directed counties to segregate mail ballots that a voter did not date or incorrectly dated.
Nov. 1, 2022Joe Lamberti / Philadelphia InquirerDemocrats bet on abortion rights as winning issue as they seek control of Pa. Houseby Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PATo flip the state House, a priority for Democrats, the party must win several swing districts and unseat popular Republican incumbents like Todd Stephens.
Oct. 31, 2022Heather Khalifa / Philadelphia InquirerWhy are undated mail ballots such a big deal in Pennsylvania?by Katie Meyer of Spotlight PAThe Pennsylvania Supreme Court has been asked to determine whether mail ballots that a voter failed to date should be thrown out or counted on Nov. 8.
Oct. 27, 2022TOM GRALISH / Philadelphia InquirerPa. election 2022: Where governor candidates Mastriano and Shapiro stand on mail ballots, election security, and voting rightsby Katie Meyer of Spotlight PAElection administration is especially important in the 2022 race for Pennsylvania governor as GOP candidate Doug Mastriano believes wrongly that President Joe Biden won because of widespread fraud.
Oct. 26, 2022Amanda Berg / For Spotlight PAPa. election 2022: How redistricting could alter control of the legislature and other changes to watch Nov. 8by Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PA and Stephen Caruso of Spotlight PADemocrats are eyeing an opportunity to reduce the Republican majority in the state House or win it outright thanks to population shifts over the past decade and more favorable districts.
Oct. 25, 2022Jose F. Moreno/ Philadelphia InquirerPa. election 2022: Where governor candidates Mastriano, Shapiro stand on the gas tax, business regulations, and property taxesby Charlotte Keith of Spotlight PAThere’s not much that Pennsylvania’s next governor can do to directly tackle inflation or its underlying causes, but he can help blunt the impact that rising prices has on residents.
